Yoga Nidra Class Near Me: Free Yoga Nidra Class Sunday + Updates

Happy Friday to you!

I hope your week has been great—full of self-awareness, optimism, and doing things for your wellbeing. 

PSA

I invite you to make it a habit that each day you do something healthy for your body, mind, and spirit. 

Personally, I wake up early to do yoga and work out, I plan out what I’m going to eat, and I listen to or read something every day that nourishes my spirit. 

What are your body, mind, spirit habits?

As we step into the weekend, I wanted to give you a few tid-bits.

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Free Yoga Nidra Class This Sunday

Every Sunday I teach a live online Yoga Nidra class 9–10:15 am MT. 

This is the 5th Sunday of the month so this week my live online Yoga Nidra class is FREE. Click here to register and instead of payment, click “It’s the 5th Sunday of the month, this one’s free” button on the registration form. Then, you’ll get an email with the Zoom link and information about class. 

Even if you can’t join live, register anyway because everyone gets the replay so you can listen to and/or watch the entire class as well as just the Yoga Nidra practice. 

This week we’ll explore how love and joy are both portals to experience our ultimate being.

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Yoga For Stiffer Bodies

Saturdays 7:30–8:30 am MT

Live via Zoom or in person at Mosaic Yoga

By donation 

I absolutely love this class. It’s a great opportunity to join a fantastic community of practitioners and do an intelligent, therapeutic, and active yoga practice but totally on your terms.

Class is 60 minutes and consists of a generous warm up, familiar and new poses, and a nourishing cooldown and stretchy poses. It’s the perfect way to start your weekend.

Join me for Yoga for Stiffer Bods live, either via Zoom or in person at Mosaic Yoga in Salt Lake City, Utah. For Zoomers, click here and see the Zoom button at the top of the page (same link for all of my classes).

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Advanced Yoga Nidra Training

Also, I noticed that I’d originally scheduled my Advanced Yoga Nidra teacher training to overlap with Easter so I’ve changed the dates a bit. Now, the Advanced Yoga Nidra teacher training will be over two weekends: April 26–27; May 3–4.

I’m really excited about this training. I only offer it once a year and it’s a chance to really go deep into the absolutely transformational practice of Yoga Nidra. 

We are going to do a deep dive into topics like:

• Purpose: Self-discovery, sacred sleep, and waking from the dream

• Tools: Expanding your toolbox—Drawing a bigger map, Speaking your voice, and wielding weapon-grade love

• Practice Makes Progress: Mastering Yoga Nidra dyads, discovering and building YOUR classes, and developing personal projects

• Direction Frequency and Resonance: advanced recording techniques, sharing platforms, and finding your voice to reveal your students

If you haven’t done the first training, reach out to me and I can arrange a special price for both the level 1 and the advanced training. You’ll have just enough time to do both!

Join us!

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Yoga Retreat France

I have only 3 spots left in my French Riviera yoga retreat happening June 7–13, 2025. This will be a retreat of a lifetime and I don’t want you to miss out. Please grab your bestie and make it happen.

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Yoga Business and Teaching Mentorships

Lastly, I love mentoring other conscious entrepreneurs how to start or boost their business. I recently had a few mentors graduate which opens up a few spots.

If you're interested in a free discovery Zoom call where we can discuss how to get your mad skills out into the world and make a positive impact while also making a great living doing what you love, please book an appointment below. 

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You're a beautiful person. You matter, you're good enough, and pretty kick-ass.

Please share your incredible gifts with the world. 

Part 2 Sacred Intersections: Where Realms Meet

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! 

Today I wanted to share the second of two installments about pilgrims and pilgrimages. 

In Part 1, I wrote about the pilgrim's journey, specifically that magical transformation from searching to arriving. 

And today, being Saint Patrick’s Day, I want to invite you to join me at Tobar Phádraig—Saint Patrick's well—where together we can discover those magical intersections between realms that define true pilgrimage.

The Intersection of Realms (Connecting to Pilgrim)

If you recall from my last message, during my retreat to Ireland last year, we visited the home and art studio of Richard Hearns who showed us many paintings, two of which made a distinct impression on Seneca and me. 

Seneca was enthralled by Idyll but I was immediately taken by the painting Pilgrim. 

So much moves me about this painting, especially the image of the pilgrim and the illumination behind the figure. To me, this image feels like an arrival. 

But what moves me the most about this painting is the intersecting lines, something that’s become a major pillar of my personal spiritual understanding and my teachings. 

The idea of intersecting lines could be summarized like this: The Universe exists as a balanced paradox—seemingly opposite things all belonging to one large Singularity or Oneness. 

Since we all belong to the Oneness, because Oneness is our True Nature and opposites are anathema to this core Oneness, whenever there is perceived opposition, it’s an opportunity to step into the fullness of our being and begin to explore that situation in a Both/And way. Whether it’s about politics or relationships, career or education decisions, even getting along with our neighbors, there is a magic in exploring the place where seemingly opposing lines intersect. Responding rather than reacting to the human experience of opposition in a way that mirrors our greatest intelligence, the Beingness of our Oneness, is the most beautiful representation of intersecting lines. When two seemingly opposite things come together, they can create a new third thing, something magical and larger than the sum of its parts. 

There’s always magic at the crossroads. 

My work, especially with Yoga Nidra, explores that fascinating crossroads between our humanness and our beingness in our birthright and majesty of what it truly means to be a human being. It explores the intersections of waking and dreaming, spiritual and physical, self and Self, and self and other. 

One of the things I teach in my Personal Renaissance retreats and walking tours in Tuscany is the Leonardo DaVinci illustration of the Vitruvian Man, the human being as the perfect example of intersection of realms e.g., the circle and the square. 

It’s often at these intersections, at these crossroads, that magic happens. Sacred wells are potent examples of this kind of magic.

Sacred Wells as Intersections

Asking permission to enter Tobar Phádraig

Both times that I’ve made my own pilgrimage to Tobar Phádraig, I’ve been accompanied by spiritual giants—Norín and Moley—mother and son duo of poets, writers, and singers—and none other than poet, author, and speaker David Whyte himself. 

Both times we were led along this stony pathway that overlooked the barren landscape with a view of the Atlantic ocean off to our right. We followed seemingly endless lines of fences made from the natural flagstones so replete in this landscape. 

After about 30 minutes of walking, there’s a break in the wall off to the left. Norín invited us to stand at the threshold between the road and the pathway leading to the well, and in our hearts ask the land and spirits permission to enter. Doing so, then taking a step onto the short path that leads to the holy well, it felt like stepping onto holy ground. 

Saint Patrick

At the well, it is lush, verdant. Quiet. There are ribbons hanging in the trees with names on them, people who are sick, dying or dead. Generations from time out of mind built a stone basin in which there’s a scattering of coins. Statues of saints and plaques with pictures of family members, living and dead, watch quietly from alcoves. 

Standing at the well, we were invited to make our own prayers and supplications, tie our own ribbons to the trees,  and toss coins into the well. Then song and poetry sealed our prayers to rest in that holy place like bright coins scintillating in the well.

Intersecting Saints, Sinners, and Leprechauns 

While standing at the holy well, David Whyte recited his poem, Tobar Phádraig, and prefaced the poem with both a story and history about the well including the spiritual and mystical landscape of Ireland.

David Whyte explained to us a little about the original people who lived in Ireland. Before the current people conquered Ireland, the original inhabitants had been living there for thousands of years. There are sacred burial sites and dolmans in the area that are at least five thousand years old. He explained that what is now Tobar Phádraig has been a sacred site for millennia and long predates Saint Patrick and the Catholic church. 

The original people of Ireland had reached such a high level of harmony between themselves and nature, that they were truly enlightened beings. When the people who currently live in Ireland came to take over the land by force, the original inhabitants were in such a completely different place consciously and spiritually that it’s said that when they saw the conquerors coming, they simply turned sideways into the light and chose to live in a different realm. 

Patrick McCormack

It’s said that those original people still inhabit the land but make up the mythical and mystical landscape of Ireland in the form of elementals, spirits, leprechaun, and the like. I can tell you with a straight face that having been there it’s very easy to sense these beings in that landscape.

I’m not alone. When we were in Ireland, we were also treated to a beautiful walk around the Burren with farmer, rancher, and environmental activist Patrick McCormack (check out this beautiful documentary about him). Patrick is a very practical man who has a beautiful and profound relationship with the land. He also told us frankly that the spirits and elementals of that area have rules that must be followed if you want your work on the land to go well. He explained that even the farmers and ranchers who don’t believe in these spirits still abide by these spirits’ rules … you know, just in case. 

I’ve since learned a little more about Saint Patrick, that when he was preaching at what’s now Saint Patrick’s well and admonishing the non-Christians to join his johnny-come-lately church—we are talking 433 CE. Well the non-christians weren’t having it and started throwing rocks at Saint Patrick. Having been there, I can attest to the preponderance of hand-sized stones in the area and it's clear that they would make effective and easy ammunition. Well, it’s said that Saint Patrick threw his staff down on the ground and it turned into many serpents who drove all the non-believers away and that’s how christianity came to stay in Ireland.

Then, David Whyte told us another story about when christianity was more established in Ireland. St. Kevin, a hermit and founder of Glendalough monastery was known for his deep connection to nature and animals. It’s said that one day he was praying with his hands outstretched, supplicating the divine, and a blackbird came and rested there. So St. Kevin prayed longer to allow this bird a little rest. Well, the blackbird felt so comfortable there that she nested and laid an egg there. Kevin then remained in that position until the fledgling was raised and both birds flew away. 

So now knowing more about the history and intersection of saints, sinners, and leprechauns, here’s David Whyte’s poem, Tobar Phádraig. Listen to how David Whyte masterfully intersects all of these intersecting elements: past, present, and future, christian and pre-christian traditions, inner and outer landscape, body and spirit, as well as the author and reader. Plus I hope that you’ll understand the references a bit better after the stories he shared.

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Tobar Phádraig

By David Whyte

Turn sideways into the light as they say

the old ones did and disappear

into the originality of it all.

Be impatient with easy explanations

and teach, that part of the mind

that wants to know everything,

not to begin questions it cannot answer.

Walk the green road above the bay

and the low glinting fields

toward the evening sun, let that Atlantic

gleam be ahead of you and the gray light

of the bay below you, until you catch,

down on your left, the break in the wall,

for just above in the shadows

you’ll find it hidden, a curved arm

of rock holding the water close to the mountain,

a just-lit surface smoothing a scattering of coins,

and in the niche above, notes to the dead

and supplications for those who still live.

But for now, you are alone with the transfiguration

and ask no healing for your own

but look down as if looking through time,

as if through a rent veil from the other

side of the question you’ve refused to ask.

And you remember now, that clear stream

of generosity from which you drank,

how as a child your arms could rise and your palms

turn out to take the blessing of the world.

The Alchemy of Presence

I recently returned from a personal pilgrimage to Colombia. Having visited this retreat 6 years previous, an experience that afforded me with both the most difficult and the spiritual experiences of my life up to that point, I returned because I felt called to. I craved the further light, spirit, and wisdom that this sacred healer facilitates so ably. 

In short, I craved a solid dose of the divine. I went into this recent pilgrimage with some trepidation because I know that often such encounters are as much of a violation as they are revelation, that just like Richard Hearns’ paintings suggest, there’s a journey through the darkness to arrive at the greater light. 

Even though I prayed to be spared from the darkness—hoping that I had somehow paid that price at the previous retreat six years ago and that this one could be all rainbows—the darkness came nonetheless. Something needed to be born from within me and it was not gentle. Nonetheless, as anyone who has experienced giving birth in any form may attest, this kind of genesis is the pilgrim’s journey—the pain leading to the beauty or the light.

Many things came through me during the ceremonies in Colombia but one of my deepest insights was about the alchemy of presence. Past and future, myself and other—all merged into my being at this moment. I felt as if I was humanity giving birth to itself, healing itself, and strengthening itself. It was one of the most spiritual, affirming, and beautiful experiences I may ever have in my life, an experience that opened my eyes more fully to the Oneness that exists in all of us. 

Like I mentioned previously, it dawned on me that there’s a sacredness to the pilgrim’s hunger and searching for something over the next horizon but that eventually there will come a time along the pilgrim’s journey when the pilgrim arrives “at the ground at their feet and learns to be at home.” I believe that this often, this kind of arrival happens when we encounter intersecting lines, the paradox of vertical and horizontal, physical and spiritual, you and me, or frankly any other apparent opposite. 

It happens when we realize that this very moment—even as you read these words—is the moment you’ve been waiting for. 

This is it. You’ve arrived. 

Invitation

I invite you to join me for a pilgrimage on my next yoga retreat to the French Riviera, June 7–13, 2025 where we will explore that intersection of humanness and beingness, of ocean and land, spirit and culture.

I only have a few spots left so please jump on this today.

You’ll love:

• Daily all-levels yoga and meditation by the ocean

• World class beaches

• Immersing yourself into the culture of Nice and Monaco

• Wine tasting and food tours

• Chill days at the beach

• Amazing new friends

• Beautiful personal discovery

Follow the rainbow over to my website and register today to save $200 with this one day only discount code: POTOGOLD. No tricks from leprechauns but the deal goes away tomorrow.

May we all, for the love of saints and sinners alike, “turn sideways into the light” and “turn our palms out and take the blessings of the world.”

You are a blessing in my world. 

Namaste,

PS In the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day, below are links to two different Irish musical groups, both of whom I’ve had the pleasure of encountering while in Ireland. Enjoy!

Yoga Nidra for Fear And Worry

The Times Are A Changin’

There are a lot of changes happening right now, especially in the US political landscape. 

I normally try to stay apolitical in my messaging but given what’s happening in the United States right now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t declare my political leanings here: 

The Politics of Oneness

My politics are this: connection, depth, purpose, and joy. 

I champion: 

• Inclusion 

• Equality 

• Possibilities

• Peace

• Sustainability 

• Hope

• Protecting the earth

• Women's rights

• Transgender righrts

• Homelessness

• Education for all

• Affordable healthcare for all

• Balancing the wealth disparity by helping the poor and middle class

• Being a leader and example to the world for human rights, the environment, peace, clean water, sufficient food, and education

• Oh, and making bajilionaires pay their taxes

• I believe that nurses and teachers should be paid what their worth, which is to say GRUNDLES.

Summed up in a word, my politics are LOVE.

If you love someone, something, or an idea, you want what’s best for it. 

Once we wake up to the truth of Oneness, we’ll realize that it’s foolishness not to love YourSelf, the amalgam of each one of us—some beautiful, multifaceted organism called humanity. 

In this space, we learn to see each person, not as an enemy, not as other, but as THIS. 

Each Member Is Holy (somehow)

Each character in this organism is holy, even those rascally (dare I say belligerent) characters who don’t share the same vision or hope for Oneness. 

People are scared. I’m scared. I’m scared for my future, the future of our kids, the country and the world. So many of the things I deeply care about stand in peril of being severely hurt. 

Breaking Down

The other day, my wife read the news about the freeze on federal funding. Her job and that of all of her colleagues depends on federal funding. 

She came home from work and I held her in my arms as she cried in worry and anger. As an expert on global health and nursing, she understands just how many people will be affected because of this brash and reckless decision. Not to mention, possibly losing her own job. 

We stood in the kitchen holding each other. Then we decided to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Of course, we could always move back to France but we want to make it good here in the US. 

A 20-minute sanctuary for troubled times: Yoga Nidra for Stress And Worry

She told me about students and faculty members, colleagues, who are freaking the F*@# out, literally crying in class and meetings, beside themselves in worry and rage. 

She said that she and her colleagues could use a Yoga Nidra recording to help with all this fear and worry. 

I said, “I’m on it!”

And I did. 

Here’s the description:

This deeply restorative Yoga Nidra practice offers a sanctuary for those experiencing fear, worry, or anxiety about personal or global circumstances. Through guided relaxation, affirmations, and awareness techniques, you'll journey through the layers of your being to connect with your innate strength and inner wisdom. Drawing on the grounding energy of the root chakra and the healing power of the heart center, this 20-minute practice helps calm your nervous system while building resilience and clarity, leaving you feeling centered, capable, and restored.

I feel it’s important to make this available for all of us for free. 

I made it hopefully very accessible—only 20 minutes so that you could squeeze it in as you start your day, during lunch break, or to wind down after your day is done. 

I hope you love it. 

Basic Self Care When Life Gets Tough

Plus, some basic things we can all consider to offer self care and support when we are under any kind of stress, or feel like we have bucketloads of fear or worry:

• Do the basic essentials:

• Get enough sleep

• Get exercise: yoga, walk, hike, or whatever makes your body feel alive

• Rest, do this practice often

• Eat healthy: less sugar, process foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables

• Practice gratitude

• Focus on what you want rather than what you don’t

• Be both realistic and optimistic and hold hope for what’s possible

• Join or create positive heart-centered community

• Spend time outdoors

• Do things that make you feel alive

• Find someone you can talk to and ask them if they will check in with you regularly

I hope that this list and this recording (blue button below) helps. 

Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra Workshop

Also, this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and therefore I’ll be hosting my 2-hour Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra workshop and the theme will be managing fear and worry. 

Come rest and restore! 

12–2 pm MST 

By donation

In person at Mosaic Yoga 1991 S. 1100 E. Salt Lake City, Utah

Live via zoom link here or on the classes page of my website

Our Spiritual Journey

It is my deep personal and spiritual journey to learn to love (somehow, god help me!) those who don’t share or even oppose the vision of Oneness. 

I do believe we get there in the end. I believe in the big scheme of things, we’ve already won and that any struggles are making us stronger and are whipping us into shape to step into what we need to become in this lifetime. 

In the end, may we see that even those who resist us are actually powerful agents, calling us to step into our next iteration of spiritual evolution and growth. 

Take care of yourself!

We got this!

Namaste,

Yoga Nidra Teacher Training: Fix The Crazy Don't Add To It

Man, there’s a LOT going on in the world right now: fires, war, climate, calamity, political doo-doo … you name it.

The world needs qualified Yoga Nidra teachers more than ever to help respond to rather than react from all what’s going on and help make the world a better place. 

Do you want to help the crazy rather than add to it?

Let me teach you how to facilitate Yoga Nidra!

Join My Next Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training

I’m offering my next Yoga Nidra teacher training January 24–27 and I’d love to have you join. 

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How Can Yoga Nidra Help?

Yoga Nidra can help you and others to calm stress, achieve a feeling of meaning and purpose in the world, and live their life in a spirit of compassionate responsiveness.

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Can I Teach Yoga Nidra if I’m Not A Yoga or Mediation Teacher?

This training is not limited to only yoga or meditation teachers. It’s also perfect if you’re a school teacher, coach, therapist, or parent. 

I’ve spent years developing and teaching my Yoga Nidra teacher training: Facilitating Transformation with the Yoga of Sleep which is one of the best Yoga Nidra teacher trainings in the world and lauded by websites such as Mind is the Master and Yogi Times.  Many people from other disciplines and modalities take this training to help them with the people in their world—clients, students, kids, etc.

This is my best Yoga Nidra training yet and I’d LOVE to share it with you!

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When’s The Next Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training?

January 24–27, 2025. 

Live: in-person in Tucson, AZ or via Zoom from wherever you are.

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You’ll get:

• Over 100 pages of Yoga Nidra scripts so you can start teaching Yoga Nidra today

• 150 pages of a very detailed manual so to accommodate different learning styles

• 30 hours of expert instruction—cuz you can’t learn this stuff in an afternoon. 

• Specialized Yoga Nidra practices that actually support you to learn how to teach Yoga Nidra

• In person or Zoom so you can join from wherever you are or in-person if you learn best that way

• Lifetime access to all audio/Video replay of all the sessions so you can watch any session you have to miss or so you can rewatch the material as often as you need

• Personalized attention to meet your individual interests and needs for this practice

• Yoga Alliance continuing ed credit if you need it to keep your YA membership active

• Personal 1:1 consultation so you can learn how to personally thrive in this practice

Most of all, you’ll leave feeling prepared to teach varied and specialized Yoga Nidra practices to benefit your students using the power of your own voice rather than being a parrot of your teacher. 

Please reach out with any questions!

Please join me!

Making Waves Great Salt Lake & Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training

Yeah, today I’m excited to share about a collective poem I contributed to about saving Great Salt Lake as well as my next live Yoga Nidra teacher training.

A Word To Save The Waves

My very good friend,Nan Seymour—a dear friend/sister with whom I’ve been co-leading nature + yoga + writing retreats for the past 9 years—has been doing an incredible job, tirelessly raising awareness about the endangered Great Salt Lake. 

I love this lake and love Nan and so when she asked if I would write a poem about this majestic but imperiled lake, I jumped at the chance. 

Many people contributed and the results were a collective poem. I was thrilled to see that it was recently published as a book called Irreplaceable, A Collective Praise Poem For Great Salt Lake.

Tonight, you’re invited to a FREE event, a collective reading of this poem and I’ll be privileged to read my humble poem.

I’ll also get to blow my sax a little bit. 

At this free event, we will be honored with opening remarks from Lisa Bickmore, Poet Laureate of Utah as well as a screening of the short film Irreplaceable, directed by John Meier. 

Can’t wait!

When: Wednesday, November 20th from 6–7:30 pm 
Where: Natural History Museum of Utah located at 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Cost: FREE

Please come!

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Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training

Also, I am excited to let you know about my next LIVE Yoga Nidra teacher training, January 24–27, 2025

I’m excited to be hosted by Rianne Maldonado of Wrae Aesthetics in Tucson, Arizona. 

Training available via Zoom or in person, Tucson, Arizona. 

 
Stand Out As a Teacher, Coach, or Therapist

Let’s face it—there are a billion yoga teachers, coaches, and therapists. This Yoga Nidra teacher training will help you become a Yoga Nidra expert and will help you stand out from the rest in your industry.

Yoga Nidra is SO more than just guided visualizations. Explore how this powerful but gentle medium facilitates massive and lasting transformation from anything to confidence, addiction, stress, sleep, and even spiritual awakening.

This engaging and nourishing training empowers you to become an effective teacher to meet the unique needs of your students and clients, to help them make important transformations in their own lives.

People are waiting to experience Yoga Nidra in only the way YOU can deliver it!

Stand out as a teacher and to facilitate lasting transformation for your students and clients.

What’s Unique About This Training:

• Superb quality—Organized, easy to follow, flexible for your schedule, dynamic as per your learning style.

• In-depth study—you’ll learn from a Yoga Nidra master and graduate a Yoga Nidra expert.

• Highly effective—this training is ranked the top Yoga Nidra trainings in the world by Mind Is the Master.

• Be Original! Most trainings teach you to be a rote version of your teacher. This training teaches you the larger principles, roadmaps, and concepts that allow you to tap into the wise teacher inside of you to be a truly effective teacher by teaching from the power of your own voice

• Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credit.

In Great Company

Today, I want to talk about some excellent yoga and mindfulness teachers, wellness coaching, as well as yoga mentorships and/or small business mentorships.

First, I hope you’ve had a great week and that you’re gearing up for a great weekend. 

PSA: 

Self care is not only not selfish, it’s also not optional. 

It’s imperative that you regularly do those things that help you feel ALIVE. Afterall, like the theologian and civil right activist Howard Thurman says:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

— Howard Thurman

If yoga and mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, help you feel alive, I hope you’ll join me over the next few days for some classes. Check deets below. 

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Also, I want to let you know that I feel totally honored and humbled to be surrounded by truly gifted and wonderful yoga teachers, two of whom I’d like to introduce to you if you don’t already know them. 

Sasha Nelson

First, I’d like to introduce you to Sasha Nelson. 

Sasha grew up in California and then moved to NYC and taught and practiced yoga at some of my favorite New York yoga studios. We love and practice with many of the same teachers. 

Then Sasha moved to Paris and taught yoga at studios, businesses, and offered private sessions before moving to Nice, where I met her and where she is currently teaching. She also hosts yoga retreats and offers 1:1 wellness coaching that incorporates nutrition, yoga, sustainability for the planet, and mindfulness. 

We resonate on SO many levels.

Sasha is a really talented teacher with a mission to promote wellness for body, mind, and planet. I truly admire her passion to not only help individuals but also help the planet. 

To brag about Sasha briefly, she studied mindfulness with none other than Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield and has yoga certifications from Yoga Shanti and Yoga Works. She has a MFA in sustainable design. 

It's fascinating to see how she’s incorporating her knowledge of design, yoga, meditation, sustainability, nutrition into very comprehensive private and group offerings. To boot, she’s also a great writer. I subscribe to her substack to get her regular writings which include recipes and yoga/mindfulness insight. Very cool!

Even though I moved back to the US over a year ago, I still get requests to teach yoga in the Nice area and I never hesitate to send Sasha instead because she’s just such a solid teacher. 

I worked with Sasha personally and mentored her to help her expand her offerings and organize an already robust yoga business. I’m super proud of the work we did together and want to share her great work with you. 

I want to highlight 2 things she does really, really well. 

First, she has a fantastic online course called Mindful Mornings: Nourishing Rituals for Mind, Body & Planet. In this course you see her skill in design—It’s gorgeous—but it’s also really engaging, approachable and a fantastic day to create rituals for your morning and start your day off perfectly. 

Next, because wellness is not a 1-size-fits-all sorta deal, she offers 1:1 holistic health coaching to help a person meet their wellness needs whether through diet, yoga/meditation, and sustainability. You can book a free discovery call with her to discuss what she does and how it might be helpful for you.  

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JACOBY BALLARD

Next, I want to talk about Jacoby Ballard

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga a teacher with me at Mosaic Yoga. He leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. He’s a seasoned yoga teacher of 24 years and leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, among other things. He’s also the author of A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditation for Liberation. 

Jacoby and I both teach Yoga for Stiffer Bodies at Mosaic Yoga—I teach on Saturdays at 7:30 am and he teaches Tuesday at the same time. 

This Saturday, November 16th, we’ll be co-teaching my Yoga for Stiff Bodies class for a power-packed experience that will allow you to be introduced or reintroduced to this incredible teacher. As always, class will be 60 minutes and will be offered by donation. 

I hope that your plans this weekend and early next week involve a little self care in the form of some yoga and Yoga Nidra. I hope to see you in class. Otherwise, please book a free no-pressure discovery call with me about the possibility of working together in the form of a mentorship. 

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Yoga and Small Business Mentor Programs

My mentor programs are organized systems that help you illuminate your unique gifts, who your ideal client is, and how to create an organic, massive, and positive impact on the world in a way that makes both you and your clients evolve into your highest potential. 

I’ll share with you the exact system that I use every day, one that has helped me launch my career from being a struggling yoga and meditation teacher into a global presence in my field, making over 6 figures a year, and enjoying being non location dependent—fulfilling my dream to live in the South of France.

Let me show you step-by-step exactly how this system can work for you and your business. 

These programs are organized, effective, and actionable. They are designed to give you the secrets and specific skills to harness your talents and build what I call your own Mechanism of Influence. 

In a mentorship, you will:

• Illuminate your special and unique gifts

• Clarify who your ideal client is and the unique ways that you can help them

• Plan, organize, and execute how to build or improve a clean, effective, and actionable website

• Communicate regularly with your ideal client with a regular, high-value message in the form of newsletters, blogs, and social media

• Offer products and services that helps your clients stretch and grow and helps you to get paid what you’re worth

• Maintain a high-level, trusting relationship with your clients

• Regularly review your business to remain relevant, fresh, inline with your and your clients highest values and needs

If this seems like a lot, know that with organization, everything is manageable and this system will be your step-by-step way of helping the world discover the gifts that you have to offer. 

These programs offer:

• Experienced Guidance 

• I’ll show you step-by-step my proven system that I use every day which has helped me break through career plateaus, enabled me to be non location dependent, and enabled me to make a great living doing what I love. I have shared with dozens of people who are also reaching new heights in their teaching and business. 

• Increased Revenue

• This system focuses on illuminating and maximizing your gifts, helping you to offer them to the world in a way that both you and your clients grow in energy, money, and love. 

• Accountability and Support

• I’ll be your accountability partner, a crucial element to helping you stay focused so you can accomplish your goals. When questions or problems arise, I’ll be right there to help you solve them and move forward. When you’ve completed your program you can join support sessions with other students to keep you learning and moving forward. 

• A focused Strategy 

• My system takes the guesswork out of what you need to do to make great leaps in your business and even gives you a schedule for what you can be doing to build your business every day. 

• Clarity and Direction

• I help you to refine the purpose and direction of your business which helps you save time and energy by knowing exactly where to put your attention. 

• Mindset for Success

• Your business is an extension of your thoughts and beliefs. That’s why I’ll help you stay in a growth and abundant mindset with encouragement, meditations, and helpful tools. These will help you to understand your growth potential, understand speed bumps for the lessons they are, all the while eliminating self-limiting beliefs. 

• Practical Tools 

• This program gives you loads of useful tools in the form of guides, supplementary videos, and templates that make easy work of seemingly difficult tasks. 

We Are All Tied For First Place In The Human Race

There’s Something Going Around

I’m getting over a cold. 

It’s been no fun.

But today, I want to talk about something else that’s going around and that is even more nasty and lugubrious than a cold. It’s uber-contagious and gross and it’s making a lot of us very, very sick. 

I’m not talking about sniffles and coughs, but something that is far more pernicious, something that is clouding our minds and hearts. 

It’s an election year and what’s running rampant is a scourge of fear, negativity, and division. 

I see it in my friends, my neighbors, and community. 

I feel it trying to creep into myself. 

It’s strange how we so willingly pass along the virus of negativity and fear to each other.

But yoga and meditation can help.

---

My Precccioussss …

I know people, and so do you, whose health is truly suffering because of this political “news” binging. They are losing sleep, experiencing anxiety, looking at the world increasingly in fear and paranoia.

The reason that all this negativity is so pernicious, so vile, so harmful,  is that in truth … there's a part of us that loves it.

Outwardly, we might vociferously complain about our supposed political enemy but, if we are really and truly honest with ourselves, we cherish that displeasure. We’re like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings who holds onto the malevolent ring of power, the object of his deepest desire that is simultaneously eclipsing his heart and poisoning his mind so completely that he is utterly unable to release it. It’s like evil Sauron has given us all a golden ring of political negativity that is slowly poisoning us all. 

This negativity conjured by this political season is as addicting as any drug, because it is a drug. 

There’s a part of us that gets a massive emotional reward from all of this negativity—a heroic dose of dopamine that keeps us glued to our screens and refreshing our social media feeds for more and more of it. We become veritable “news” junkies, addicted to this bitter poison, lost in the continuous “pleasure” of the pain, and deafened by the echo chamber of our fears and one-sided opinions. 

Like a pusher on the corner, politicians and sensationalist media alike understand exactly how addicting all this negativity is and are purposefully serving us an overdose of this junk for the simple and sinister purpose of power and profit.

---

The Peace Chant

One antidote to this suffering is The Peace Chant Om Sahana Vavatu, an ancient chant which I love, one that has been a sacred guide along my own spiritual journey. One of my favorite translations of this chant has a few lines that are so poignant, so right on. 

It says:

May we not cherish hatred, anger, and displeasure. 

May our hearts be full of love and may perfect friendship reign between us. 

This prayer beseeches us to draw near to the best and most honorable parts of our hearts and to turn away from our natural propensity for negativity. In not so many words, it’s admonishing us to “Just say no to the drug of hatred, anger, and displeasure.” It’s a reminder of our innate True nature, that of love, friendship, and inclusion.

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“But I Saw It On The News!”

We have to be discerning about both where we get our news and how much exposure we will allow ourselves to it. Sensationalist news sources are no different than “reality TV” that feed us selected and curated sound bites or scenes of an event, information that’s been edited with an agenda and designed to feed us an emotion and a story, one that often puts us lightyears from the entire truth. 

This political “reality forming,” this fear mongering, these sensationalist soundbites, are not about informing us. They are designed to tie us in knots while simultaneously un-tie us as a people.

---

So What News Should I Consume?

We must be discerning enough to inform ourselves as best we can about the facts without abusing ourselves with sensationalist media. In your heart you know the difference. 

We must search for balanced sources for the news. 

My father-in-law is a prof of journalism and gave me some very helpful recommendations for exploring balanced news sources. I encourage you to check these out in a blog post I wrote called The News Is Consuming You.

No matter what news source we listen to or watch, we must always think critically, avoid extremes, use common sense, and above all, remain connected to our hearts. 

Then we must turn off the talking heads, close social media, roll out our yoga mat or go on a fucking walk, to clear your head and ground yourself in your breath and body. 

“Perhaps / The truth depends on a walk
around a lake”

— Wallace Stevens, Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction

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Draw Inward But Not In A Cave

Don’t get me wrong. What we should NOT do is hide in a cave, close our eyes to the world, and sit self righteously as we meditate in our own personal campaign of spiritual bypassing. On the contrary, I believe it’s a distinct privilege to be part of a democratic process and get to vote, to act to help make the world a better place. 

But outward actions must be informed by our inward attention. Practices such as yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra are essential because they remind us of that part of us that is already whole, that is part of the Oneness, the part that is fundamentally tied to inclusion and compassion. Once we are “yoked” to our highest self, then we must go out into the world and respond compassionately to the needs of our world, doing the work that helps us all to unite in a spirit of friendship as together we build a brighter future. 

Oh, and I might suggest meditating BEFORE looking at the news. 

Compassionate responsiveness is anathema to fearful reactivity. 

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MLK, Gandhi, and Buddha Walk Into A Bar …

Nonviolence to others and ourselves is surely at the heart of our yoga practice, our practice as human beings, and another antidote to this nefarious negativity. The first observance of yoga is Ahimsa, or non-violence. 

The world’s middle-weight champion of nonviolent social revolution, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood how essential nonviolence was to the lasting effect of social revolution. Many of his views on nonviolence came from studying the works and words of Mahatma Gandhi, the world's light-weight champion of nonviolence. Dr. King even traveled to India, in part as a pilgrimage to Gandhi's homeland. Ghandi understood very well the yogic texts along with their primary tenant of nonviolence as the genesis for revolution, both for individuals and peoples. Expounding on the principles of nonviolence taught by Gandhi, Dr. King said, “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate [them].” This malcontent, this hate for another person, people, or political affiliation is “the poison we ingest,” like the Buddha says—the world’s heavy-weight champion of nonviolence—“hoping that another will die.”

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Violence Is Making Ourselves and Others Wrong

Violence is more than harming someone with force. It’s also violent to make someone else wrong or to vilify them. We don’t have to agree with other people’s opinions but, we must cultivate a clear enough vision not to also vilify them, to still see them as family. In truth, opposing opinions can be a marvelous illuminator for those things that are important to us, things which may have been dormant in our hearts until someone voiced a different opinion. Then, fueled with the fire of determination, we can practice compassionate responsiveness to act upon those desires. 

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What We Say Matters

I’m very proud to live in the shadow of the University that created something called The Dignity Index which scores speech with an eight-point scale, ranging from contempt to dignity. The creators assert that it’s not our disagreements that causes division between us, but rather the language we use to voice those disagreements. Their mission is to prevent violence, ease divisions, and solve problems. By drawing attention away from the speaker and more to their speech, they wish to negate the biases of partisan politics. They want to emphasize the power that each person has to heal our country and each by using dignified language. 

My kid’s school district is even using the Dignity Index with a goal to teach our children how to use dignified language from a young age as well as to minimize things like bullying at school. 

The Dignity Index recently scored the presidential and VP debates. You may or may not be surprised by the results. 

No Matter What You Say …

And until we can all start to use language that promotes dignity, even within a disagreement, how might we respond when someone uses contemptuous language toward us?

The truth is, nobody can make you feel any particular emotion, regardless of whether or not it was intended to hurt you.

Sticks and stones, my friends. Sticks and stones. 

Marshall Rosenberg, (author and founder of Nonviolent Communication, Ph. D. in clinical psychology and awarded Diplomate status in clinical psychology for his international work in personal, corporate, and international conflict resolution and peace talks) also teaches this essential yogic principle of nonviolence. He says that before we can practice nonviolence outwardly, we must first practice it inwardly by doing the work to eradicate negative self-talk and shame. This is yet another reason to practice yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra.

He says that in every circumstance, when we feel an emotion as the result of what someone did or said, it’s an invitation to lean into our heart, to understand what we feel, and to explore what needs that emotion expresses. 

Here’s an example, “When _____ said ______, I felt [emotions: anger, sadness, fear, resentment, jealousy, disrespect, confusion , etc.]. I felt that emotion because it didn’t meet my need for [needs: justice, fairness, kindness, compassion, inclusion, listening, understanding, etc.]. 

Accepting personal responsibility for our emotions coupled with strong intrinsic practices of nonviolence (gentle yoga and meditation like loving kindness) help us to gain the vidya (clear seeing) that we are responsible for each of our emotions. Even more, that each emotion is a pointer to something else far greater than our emotions, something that is tied to the immutable and fundamental compassion of our being. While it often feels easier to blame someone else for our emotions, to truly be responsible for our own emotions is both humbling and immensely empowering. 

With this consciousness toward nonviolence and taking responsibility for our own emotions, we are more capable to see that someone who pushes our buttons can actually be a gift, someone who illuminates what’s important for us and inspires us to compassionately respond to those important issues. 

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I DO Need To Have An Opinion About That

If you’ve been reading my writing for a while, you might be familiar with my beloved mantra, “I don’t need to have an opinion about that.” It’s truly been a game-changer. This mantra has helped me to recognize and release those things about which I truly don’t need to have an opinion—truly stupid stuff that truly doesn’t matter, like whether or not my dad listens to soft rock (two compound 4-letter words, deplorable doubled down). 

Introspective practices like yoga and meditation also empower us to own our feelings and opinions, to see them as such. They teach us to listen to our hearts and discern between those things that truly matter and those that truly don’t. 

“One only sees correctly with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”

—The Wise Fox in The Little Prince

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By letting go of the stupid shit, that detritus that’s not worth the cognitive calories, by simply choosing not to engage with it, we save the energy and bandwidth necessary to go out and respond compassionately to the urgent needs of our world. And because our practices root us to the compassion that is fundamental to our being, when we do go out and act, we do so from a place of love, not from fear, or worse, hate. 

Compassion Takes Courage

This kind of compassionate engagement with the world takes courage. The word courage comes from the latin root, cor, which means of the heart. We must stay connected to our hearts and courageously respond to the world’s needs. 

We must be courageous, not just because it feels like the world is burning and we need to do something—it is and we do—but because the world’s problems are not going to be solved with another sign in the yard and another rant to our friends who only commiserate and confirm our complaining.

What Do We Do?

Voting is essential but isn’t enough. We must also walk across to the other side of the political street, knock on our neighbor’s door armed with warm hearts, warm cookies, and weapon-grade love. We must be willing to discuss the hard issues in between bites of chocolate chips and learn about our neighbor’s values, their hopes, and their fears. 

We can learn to listen. Mark Nepo, poet, spiritual adviser, and author of The Book Of Awakening said,

“To listen is to lean in softly with the willingness to be changed by what you hear.”

We must practice seeing the human on the other side and see that at their core, they are not so very different from us. 

We are all tied for first place in this human race. 

We must refuse to be manipulated by sensational media who would encourage us as people to fight one another, like animals pit against each other in a cage for sport or profit. 

By practicing yoga and meditation, compassionate action, balanced doses actual news, and a commitment to heart-centered discourse is what will change us from being the un-tied states of America to the United States of America.

(And if you’re dyslexic like me, you might have to read that last sentence like 4 times).

May we all learn to become united in the politik of the heart so that when this election is over, no matter who wins, we can look around at the aftermath and count our friends on both sides of the street. 

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To end, I’d like to offer the Peace Chant:

Om Saha Naav[au]-Avatu |
Saha Nau Bhunaktu |
Saha Viiryam Karavaavahai |
Tejas vi na vadhi tamastu
Ma vid ve sa va hai
Om shanti shanti shanti

Translation: 

May the divine protect us while we are together

May all obstacles be removed which stand in the way of our understanding the truth that all is one and that there is no division or separation between us.

May we grasp this understanding with full comprehension and without doubt so that all misunderstanding will be dissolved within us. 

May we not cherish hatred, anger, or displeasure

May our hearts be full of love and and may perfect friendship reign between us.

May the space around us be free of fear.

May the north and south, east and west be free of fear.

May the earth be free of fear

May the past and future be free of fear.

May we have no foes

May we all be friends.

And may the entire human race unite in one fearless friendship.

Om. Peace, peace, peace.

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A Yoga Nidra Recording For You

I’ve made a Yoga Nidra recording that is designed to help you stay grounded during an election year as we practice compassionate inclusion.

Namaste,

Yoga Nidra and Archetypes: You're Every Card In The Deck

I love the subway. 

I love that everyone gets to where they need to go sans car. 

I love how you get to experience all parts of humanity on the subway: people sleeping on the subway, people breakdancing on the subway (like, seriously, breakdancing on the subway), people crying on the subway. 

But perhaps what I love most about the subway in NYC is the poetry bombs.

When I lived in NYC, there I was, minding my own business, zipping uptown on the 1 train to teach a yoga class and I glanced over and saw this …

The Lovers

By Timothy Liu

I was always afraid
of the next card

the psychic would turn
over for us —

Forgive me

for not knowing
how we were 

every card in the deck. 

---

Boom. 

Suddenly, I’m the guy who’s crying on the subway. 

I love this poem because it reminds me that we all have a litany of different characters within us that make up our general character. Also, there are parts within us that sometimes express different kinds of wisdom in different kinds of ways, characters like the joker, the victim, the boss, the super hero, etc. 

What are the different characters inside of you?

These separate parts are our internal archetypes and can be very helpful to understanding ourselves on a very important level. 

For example, I had a profound experience once during a Yoga Nidra practice where I used the layered Awareness and systematic relaxation of the practice to source an archetype within me, the archetype of the Oracle or wise teacher. In this practice, a vivid visualization opened in my mind … 

There I was sitting in a chair in the office of one of my favorite profs from college. He was leaning back in his chair thinking about something, rather, deciding how he was going to say what he wanted to say to me. As clearly as I’m hearing my fingers tap across my keyboard, in this vision, I could hear the squeaking of his chair as he leaned back, see the tawny grain in his desk between us. I watched as he scratched his beard. Then, looking at me sideways with a glint in his eye and a wry smile on his face, he broke the silence. 

“You know … whatever you believe in, practice it every day.”

Boom!

Such a simple message with such profound implications. 

I think about that message all the time. In fact, I have to remind myself that the image and message from my professor came from me, that it didn’t happen in real life. Regardless, the message is as valuable (or more) than if it had. 

That’s an example of the power of leaning into an archetype. That wisdom existed inside of me and I needed to get relaxed and receptive enough to hear it. 

Yoga Nidra can help do exactly this. 

It helps us to relax into a conscious daydream state which is like a secret passageway to the roof of our ultimate consciousness. In this state, we can learn to see and appreciate all the intriguing and multifaceted parts of our being and learn what they have to say to our conscious mind. 

Yoga Nidra facilitates conversations between our imperfect humanness and our perfect beingness so we can go back out into the world, zip across town on the 1 train, and see our life all as the miracle that it is. 

Thanks 1 train and Timothy Liu for reminding me of this. 

What a gift!

Now, I want to share with you another amazing thing that happened regarding archetypes. It happened yesterday, in fact. 

It might involve you. …

So, I’m heading out of town this week to host my yoga retreat in the French Riviera. And normally, I teach a live online Yoga Nidra class on Sundays mornings but since I’m going to be busy doing yoga while overlooking the emerald green ocean of the French Riviera, a beret on my head and croissant in my mouth, I pre-recorded Yoga Nidra class. 

In this pre-recorded but original class, I decided to explore archetypes. As always with my live online Yoga Nidra class, I start with a hello, I open to sacred space through grounding and breathing practices and lead us in chanting a mantra (you can join or listen. Hell, it’s on Zoom so who cares), then in this class I offer a bit of a teaching on archetypes and how they are accessible and useful in a Yoga Nidra practice. 

And to add some flavor to the idea of using archetypes, I did something I’ve never done before. I grabbed a deck I own, 52 different cards featuring all different types of archetypes symbolized by an array of nature elements, people, and animals—very cool. I shuffled the deck and the spread them out. 

But, before picking 5 cards, I infused them with spirit by breathing on them, clearing out any past energy (cuz I’m good like that) and held the intention and possibility of us ALL (including you) regardless of when you watch the class, to pull the precise cards we need in order to get a deeper message and clearer direction about ourselves individually and collectively. 

Oh, the implications!

Now, believe me, I’m usually more than a little skeptical about this kind of thing but I shouldn’t be because, like every time I use this deck, the cards I pulled were nothing short of A–MAZING! The card choice was completely cosmic and worked PERFECTLY for our session. But I can’t tell you what they were cuz that would ruin the surprise. 

I can’t wait for you to check this out. 

So, in class, I read each card and discuss their meaning as suggested in the booklet the deck comes with but also to consider what wisdom each card may present outside of the suggested meaning. 

Then I invite you to lie down and get relaxed as we enter into a long Yoga Nidra practice. After relaxing into a deep state of receptivity, I lead you through a vivid and detailed visualization that incorporates each of the cards in a way that gives you personal direction for your life. 

It’s SO cool! 

You could do this Yoga Nidra practice a thousand times get a different message each time it. That’s the power of Yoga Nidra and archetypes. 

You gotta check it out! 

Whatcha do is click the button, fill out the form to register for class (drop-in, pass, or membership), and you’ll get the class emailed to you around 9 am MT on Sunday, September 8. 

The following week, I’ll be back from my Riviera romp and class will be live. 

And if you want to share, I’d love to hear about what your archetypes said. 

Please check this out and seriously consider becoming a monthly subscriber. As a subscriber, class is only $10 and if there are 5 sessions in a month you get the 5th one for free. Plus, you get access to literally HUNDREDS of previous Yoga Nidra class. Cancel anytime. 

What are your archetypes telling you?

AI, French Beaches, and Stretches

TGIF!

(Thank Ganesha it’s Friday!)

I hope that the sun is shining on you today, that your heart is peaceful, and that you’re looking for ways to share your own light with the world. 

The world needs your special kind of special. 
You matter and we are lucky to have you on our team. 

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French Riviera Yoga Retreat: One Spot Left for You!

A little bird told me that you might be ready for a luxurious European adventure. 

So, I’ve made arrangements to accommodate ONE MORE PERSON to join me in my French Riviera yoga retreat going down Sept. 7–13th. 

You’ll be sharing a luxurious suite overlooking the sea in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We are going to practice all-levels yoga and meditation, eat decadent food, tour the Riviera coast, walk the cobblestone streets of medieval towns, and relax on some world-class beaches. 

I just saw some flights to Nice for less than $800. 

Our seaside villa while on the retreat

Seriously, jump on this. I want you there with us. 

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OR, if you are looking for some soul nourishment in the deep woods, there’s one more spot at my Nature + Writing + Yoga retreat I’m co hosting with Nan Seymour and Amy May, Aug 29–Sept. 2 at Harriman State Park, Idaho. 

Enjoy 5 days, 4 nights at a pristine wildlife and bird refuge located just south of Yellowstone Park, on the banks of the Snake River, in the heart of the Henry’s Fork caldera. You can expect a morning meditation ritual, deep and soulful writing sessions, exquisite food, connection with self and others, and the copious bounties of the natural world. We plan to deeply connect with the earth and each other as we weave together an authentic and caring community. This year we will have more time than ever built in for connection to nature and contemplation, along with meaningful practice, strong community, and space for personal growth.

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 The BEST way to start your weekend is at my Yoga For Stiff Bods class. Join live in person or via Zoom. This gently dynamic class starts with a generous warm-up, move into some invigorating but approachable poses, then wrap  up with some long, slow, deep stretches to help you feel like a million bucks all weekend. You’re done early enough to still make it to the Farmer’s Market or do whatever else your weekend is calling for. 

7:30–8:30 am Available via Zoom (link below) or in person at Mosaic Yoga, 1991 South 1100 East, SLC, UT. 

By donation—donate via Venmo, donate via PayPal

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AI Workshop For Conscious Entrepreneurs

Finally, I’m so excited for my online workshop happening Sat. Aug. 17th 10 am to 1 pm via Zoom. 

AI Alchemy: Amplify Your Gifts, Preserve Your Voice

Understanding how to use AI ethically and effectively is becoming essential for conscious entrepreneurs like us.

I'm excited to share with you what I've learned about how to harness the power of AI to share your message with the world and elevate your conscious business while maintaining your own human voice.

Here's what we'll dive into:

• Prompt engineering: The art of 'talking' to AI effectively

• Creating content that resonates with your audience (without losing your unique voice)

• Ethical considerations: Using AI in alignment with your values

• Practical applications: AI tools for yoga, meditation, and wellness businesses including coaching, therapists, energy workers, etc. 

• Balancing technology with mindfulness in your practice

• Real-world examples of how AI can boost your income potential

This workshop is a MUST for the emerging technology of our time. 

What you'll receive:

✓ Live, interactive 3-hour workshop via Zoom

✓ Replay access for unlimited reviewing

✓ Exclusive list of AI prompts designed for conscious entrepreneurs

✓ Step-by-step guide to effective prompt engineering. This is GOLD!

✓ Detailed PDF manual to guide you during and after the workshop

✓ Access to a community of like-minded conscious entrepreneurs

This workshop is about amplifying your unique gifts, not replacing them. Together, we'll explore how AI can be a powerful ally in reaching more people, creating more impact, and growing your business—all while keeping the heart and soul of your practice intact.

Spaces are limited to ensure personal attention. 

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Whether it’s joining a yoga class, retreat, or workshop, or just by being your own incredible self, I invite you to stretch into the person you are meant to be by practicing wellness, kindness, and inclusion as we explore that fascinating intersection of our humanness and our beingness. 

Drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

Namaste,

Yoga Nidra and Small Kindnesses

Today, I am excited to tell you about my next live Yoga Nidra teacher training, Restore Yoga workshop, as well as offer you this incredible poem …

I heard Helena Bonham Carter read this poem and it stopped me in my tracks. Granted, she could read the IRS filing instructions and it would sound inspiring and poetic. 

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Small Kindnesses

By Danusha Lameris

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”

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I love the notion of “these fleeting temples we make together” the container of love made by a simple gesture, a kind word, a smile. 

To me, this poem epitomizes that fascinating intersection I like to play at and study, that crossroads between our humanness and our beingness. Here, we can celebrate the messiness of being human, knowing that behind the hot mess that is being human, there is a foundation of goodness, and compassion. 

We are Source and Source is love. 

I love practicing our ability to compassionately respond to life’s ups and downs instead of reacting to them. Practicing this essential skill through Yoga Nidra is like learning to become a ninja of life, except of course that instead of mastering nunchucks and throwing stars, you get to lie down and practice napping your way to enlightenment while drifting on clouds of bliss. When you get done, you get to go back out into the world and show up as your best, most responsive self.

To help us all practice this essential life skill, I invite you to join me for  my Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra workshop and my live, in-person and online Yoga Nidra training. 

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Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training:

May 11–12; 18–19, Salt Lake City and via Zoom

Yoga Nidra is far more than guided visualization—it's a profound pathway to personal transformation and even spiritual awakening. In this comprehensive 30-hour training, you'll become an expert in harnessing the life-changing potential of Yoga Nidra. I’ll guide you to gain a mastery of this ancient practice. You’ll emerge with the skills to guide your students into deep states of conscious relaxation, facilitating lasting shifts in their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Whether you're a yoga teacher, coach, or therapist, adding Yoga Nidra to your repertoire will allow you to profoundly impact the lives of those you serve.

Stand Apart as a Truly Transformative Teacher: Facilitating Transformation with the Yoga of Sleep

In today's crowded wellness landscape, becoming a Yoga Nidra expert is your key to standing out. This training goes far beyond teaching you rote scripts—you'll learn the overarching principles and roadmaps that allow you to teach from the wisdom of your authentic voice. Gain the ability to dynamically craft experiences tailored to your students' unique needs. People are yearning for the powerful transformation only you can provide through the ancient art of Yoga Nidra. Seize this opportunity to become a master guide on the journey of self-discovery and radical growth.

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Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra Workshop:

Sunday, May 5th 12–2 pm at Be-ing Community

Normally this is held at Mosaic Yoga but there is an event at Mosaic on the 1st Sunday of May. So, on May 5th I’ll be hosting this workshop at a different venue:

Be-ing Community 355 N 300 W. Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

$39.

In this class we will dip into the timeless with resting poses, poetry, and a decadent Yoga Nidra practice. This 2-hour class will incorporate supported and resting postures using yoga props (provided if you don’t have them). I try to use minimal words to allow for a generous and open spaciousness. You can also expect poetry and music to help connect your soul with timeless presence.

Also available via Zoom. Please email me in advance to tell me you’ll be Zooming in.

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May we all bend over to pick up the lemons that spill out of a stranger’s grocery bag.

May we all learn to access our highest good by exploring the depth that exists in the dance between our humanness and our beingness.

And may it begin with a simple gesture of kindness, a word like … YES!

Lament Over Daylight Saving Time

Today I want to discuss some of the benefits of Yoga Nidra, how rest and napping help rejuvenate you, and how crazy Daylight Saving Time is.

It’s Daylight Saving Time.

You know what’s weird? Time. 

Yes, time. 

What’s also weird is that a helpful student chimed in to let me know that it’s not “Daylight Savings Time” but rather Daylight Saving (no s) Time. Good to know. Thanks!

Today is one of the worst “time events” that happens twice a year. 

That’s right. Today the U.S. switches to Daylight Saving Time. Well, everyone but Arizona and Hawaii. It’s nice to know that some states have kept their sanity. 

Why Daylight Saving Time?! 

Every organism on this planet has some sort of a rhythm and sleep cycle that is dependent upon the circadian rhythm, the natural rhythm of the daylight hours as dictated by the seasons. This rhythm directs cycles from when to sleep, when to eat, when to migrate, etc. It makes sense. 

What doesn’t make sense to me is the fact that as humans we are advanced enough to send Gobots to Mars 203 MILLION miles away and have them send pics back to us in real time as it rolls around collecting specimens and amusing itself yet we don’t have the smarts to keep to the natural rhythm that all organisms on this planet have been following since, oh, the beginning of life on this planet. Instead humans create a rhythm of life based not on the seasons or the natural impulses of our bodies, impulses that have been ingrained into our very DNA, but rather an artificial rhythm set to a clock that is designed to make us more productive and earn more money. 

If that were not bad enough, then every 6 months we have to mess it up with adding or taking away Daylight Saving Time. 

I don’t need to have an opinion about it … but apparently I do. 

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Putting Daylight Saving To Rest

Luckily I’m not alone here. Thankfully some really smart people like Kenneth P. Wright Jr. Ph.D at the Sleep and Chronobiology lab at the University of Colorado Boulder thinks that for optimal physical, mental, and emotional health we should do away with Daylight Saving Time and stick with one standard time, for crying out loud. (If you care about a reference for Write’s work, whether or not I’m not making this up, you can click here.)

But until we all come to our senses and ditch Daylight Saving, those of us who are in the US are waking up an hour earlier today (except Arizona and Hawaii—starkly different places but who at least share a modicum of sanity). 

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Solutions For Fatigue

So, here’s what I propose. 

More napping. 

Yes, more napping. I mean, I’m about a third the way into Scott Carney’s book about Dreams and I love how he is exploring the fact that throughout history and cultures, before the industrial revolution and electricity (light bulbs meant people could work longer), people would follow a more natural pattern of sleeping and sleep about 9 hours a night and would also take a siesta in the afternoon which follows the natural rhythms of a person’s body. 

This is both sane and healthy. 

You know, sleeping a solid 7–9 hours is normal and healthy. Then, it’s natural to start to wane mentally and energetically after about 8 hours of being awake, after lunch time, usually. This is the PERFECT time to take a bit of a nap. It’s not being lazy. It’s being healthy. 

You don’t need to nap for long. In fact, 20–30 minutes will do absolute wonders for your overall wellness. Plus, you don’t even have to fall all the way asleep. You can just rest. It’s a revolution!

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More Productive with Yoga Nidra

But what about being productive and all that? 

Well, turns out that when you follow this more natural cycle of sleep and allow yourself a sanctioned nap in the middle of the day, your brain functions even better, your emotions are more regulated and for those who care … YOU’RE EVEN MORE PRODUCTIVE.  

To boot, you have better ideas, tend to think out of the box more often, and are generally more creative and able to learn. In fact, many of the outliers of art and industry— math and science geniuses, tech gurus, writers and artists—are ardent nappers. 

Yep.

And guess what? Listening to a Yoga Nidra recording serves this need for a mid-day nap PERFECTLY. 

So as a way of compassionately responding to this insane biannual change to/from Daylight Savings, I’m offering you a free Yoga Nidra for deep relaxation. 

You’re welcome. 

And if you’d like to make this resting and napping a regular part of your life, please join me for my weekly live, online Yoga Nidra class, happening at 9 am MDT. You can participate from the comfort of your own home (hell, your own bed). We’ll breath, move, talk a little, but then the main event will be me leading you through a luxurious Yoga Nidra practice where you get practice waking up to your True Being through the process of engineering that liminal state between waking and sleeping. That’s the Nidra state. 

Truly we are waking up with the yoga of sleep. 

Even if you can’t make it live, by registering, you’ll get the replay so you can do this Yoga Nidra practice any time you want, as often as you want. 

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So next week, as your dragging your butt around the office, sluggish and tired from the time change, tell your boss that at about 2 pm every day, you’ll have to excuse yourself, that you have an urgent 30 minute appointment which involves you lying down, closing your eyes, and napping your way to enlightenment. 

Your boss will thank you later. 

If you need a note from your yoga teacher for permission, let me know.  

I’ll send one. Or better yet, just print this one =>

Hope to see you at the Live Online Yoga Nidra class and enjoy this free Yoga Nidra recording for Deep Relaxation. 

Together, we can get through this nightmare that is Daylight Saving!

White-Eyes—Seeing The Divine In Everything

Today, I want share one of my favorite winter poems, White-Eyes by Mary Oliver. 

First of all, if you haven’t already, ‘tis the season to sign up for my 31-Day Meditation Challenge. It starts January 1 and lasts all through the month. The challenge is simply to meditate any way you wish for 15 minutes a day, every day for the entire month. I’ll be supporting you every step of the way with daily emails, live group meditations sessions, and plenty of recordings, poetry, links, and stories to make the experience very rich. 

Give the world a gift by practicing drawing inward, getting quiet in heart and mind, so you can present a YOU that is more mindful, less reactive, and rooted in compassion. 

It costs only $31 and you can get your tuition back if you complete the challenge. Make a meditation posse and sign up!

Onto the poem!

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Mary Oliver

What I love so much about Mary Oliver's poetry is that so often in her poetry she is speaking to the eternal, the Everything, God, or the Universe by simply reflecting what she sees in nature.

And like in her poem “Bone” I love how she willingly admits that she doesn't fully know what God is but is "playing at the edges of knowing" and that perhaps it’s not about knowing at all, but rather it’s about “seeing, touching, and loving.”

It’s about being present with senses and heart.

Through her poetry, Mary Oliver helps us all to create a touchpoint to the Divine that is present both in our outer and inner worlds and opens us to seeing, touching, and loving as she steers us away from trying to make it all make sense. 

Her poem White-Eyes is about seeing the Divine in something as simple yet complex as the wind dancing through the tree tops and the snow silently drifting down from the heavens. It’s an exposé about how with the “right eyes” or with attuned sight, we might be able to see the loving Divine present in all things.

I hope you enjoy it. 

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White-Eyes

BY MARY OLIVER


In winter

all the singing is in

         the tops of the trees

          where the wind-bird


with its white eyes

shoves and pushes

         among the branches.

          Like any of us

he wants to go to sleep,

but he's restless—

         he has an idea,

          and slowly it unfolds

from under his beating wings

as long as he stays awake.

         But his big, round music, after all,

          is too breathy to last.

So, it's over.

In the pine-crown

         he makes his nest,

          he's done all he can.

I don't know the name of this bird,

I only imagine his glittering beak

         tucked in a white wing

          while the clouds—

which he has summoned

from the north—

         which he has taught

          to be mild, and silent—

thicken, and begin to fall

into the world below

         like stars, or the feathers

               of some unimaginable bird

that loves us,

that is asleep now, and silent—

         that has turned itself

          into snow.

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I’d love to hear your thoughts on what this poem says to you.

Drop me a line, I read every email I get. 

May we all be our best by remember those essential phrases:

• I love you.

• I’m sorry.

• How can I help?
  
  

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Live Classes, In-person and Online:

• Yoga For Stiffer Bodies on Saturdays at 7:30–8:30 am at Mosaic Yoga

• Live online Yoga Nidra class Sundays at 9 am. Access the live class or its replay from anywhere in the world.  

• Vinyasa Mondays at 12 pm at Mosaic Yoga

• I teach a Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra workshop on the first Sunday of every month at Mosaic Yoga

• Plus, mark your calendar for January 1 because I’m hosting an in-person yoga class to begin the new year. Together we’ll plant our Sankalpa, the seed of our intentions, through ritual, movement, meditation, and breath. Mosaic Yoga.

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Yoga Retreats 2024

Yoga for Runners

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I recently wrote a blog for Hugger Mugger about yoga and running. It was fun to write and I wanted to give you a snippet here with the option to check out the full article on their blog.

Yoga and Running

Forever, I’ve heard that yoga and running just don’t mix but I don’t believe that to be true. I’ve had runners tell me that doing yoga hurts their running and yogis tell me that running hurts their yoga.

Personally, I’ve been running and doing yoga most of my life and I understand how both practices complement each other. This article focuses on how yoga can help your running practice and perhaps I’ll write another article about how running helps your yoga practice.

Do you run and practice yoga? I’d love to hear from you about your experiences with both. Leave a comment below or reach out here.

Here is the article.

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INTRODUCTION

Growing up, I was never very athletic. I never really enjoyed team sports. I was average at baseball, soccer, and basketball—scrawny and uncoordinated. I didn’t even bother to try out for football. 

But early on, I discovered a love for running and have been running most of my life. I found joy in running, not in running the fastest or the longest but rather just in the running itself. For me, the joy comes from the solitude of a long run and from the full-body movement of running, especially when I manage a comfortable and sustainable pace. Running also clears my mind and often even feels spiritual to me. Growing up, I never felt better than during and after a long run, especially a trail run.

That is, until I discovered yoga. 

When I started practicing yoga in my early 20s I was excited to discover another activity that wasn’t a competitive sport and also left me feeling as good in body, mind, and spirit the way running did. But when I told my yoga friends that in addition to practicing yoga I also enjoyed running, they’d often raise their eyebrows above their bindi and matter-of-factly inform me that yoga and running just don’t mix. Yet as someone who does both I beg to differ. On the contrary, yoga has improved my running and has kept me running well and largely injury-free for decades. 

In many ways running has improved my yoga practice by giving me more stamina, focus, and breath capacity. However, in this article I want to explore some of the many ways that yoga can benefit runners and how incorporating yoga into your training routine can make a significant difference in your enjoyment, performance, and longevity of your running.

THE PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR RUNNERS

1. BETTER FLEXIBILITY

One of the biggest benefits of yoga for runners is better flexibility. Running primarily involves repetitive movements in a forward direction which almost always leads to tight muscles. Tight muscles contribute to reduced range of motion which means that the tighter a runner’s muscles get, the more effort they have to use to make their body move. Yoga postures stretch and lengthen muscles and help runners enjoy greater flexibility and mobility, a benefit that feels like  finally, someone has released the parking brake on your running.